First Look: Toyota Tacoma TX Project Vehicle at SEMA

Take a good look at the Tacoma TX show truck: If you like what you see, there’s a good chance you could buy a Tacoma similarly outfitted and dressed in the near future.

“The goal of the TX is to use SEMA as a platform to test an accessory package we’re hoping to go to market with,” said David Williams, a Toyota marketing planner. “We’re looking for feedback about not just the vehicle itself, but also the graphics we’ve added.”

The TX stands for Tacoma Xtreme. Toyota is going with an acronym instead of full lettering to keep the design look and feel simple and uncluttered.

The artwork on the TX presents two different personalities. The passenger-side graphics, called TX Pro, were inspired by male Tacoma buyers in the 18-35 age range that like to attend events like rock concerts and off-road races. It features hipsterish/Abercrombie & Fitch graphics with distressed lettering and griffin and star icons.

“The TX Pro is a more youthful, high energy package,” Williams said. “This side is meant to represent what these drivers are into. The ‘Pro’ name gives the truck more of an edge.”

The driver-side graphic, called Tacoma TX2, emphasize the Tacoma’s PreRunner TRD heritage. It’s cleaner and more understated than the art on the other side of the truck.

“We did something that’s more in synch with the TRD brand and its heritage,” Williams said. “The ‘2’ in TX represents that’s it’s a two-wheel drive PreRunner. If we did a four-wheel driver version, it would be a TX4.”

The TX started as a Tacoma Double Cab V-6 PreRunner that’s been accessorized with TRD 16 x7.5-inch off road bead lock style wheels (that you can buy today), black tube steps, and a prototype bed extender, that’s designed and built by Amp Research. The trick design feature of the extender is its elongated shape, so you can still fit a dirt bike or two in the back of the Tacoma’s 5-foot cargo box with the tailgate down.

Other new hardware includes cadmium plated Bilstein 5100 Series shocks. They’re the only suspension tweaks to the truck and represent new dampers that TRD is developing. They raise the front of the Tacoma up a few inches, so it has more of a PreRunner stance and off-road rake.

TRD has also added a TRD cat back exhaust to give the Tacoma TX a tough exhaust note.

“We really want to hear what both SEMA attendees and the media have to say about the Tacoma TX,” Williams said.

Toyota used a similar approach to clinic the Toyota Tundra Rock Warrior edition half-ton pickup and that truck has been in production since 2009. Toyota is definitely listening to opinions about this truck.

We vote in for the TX2 side of the truck.